Geoengineering Could Make Sky White Instead of Blue

Geoengineering Could Make Sky White Instead of Blue

Some scientists advocate pumping aerosols into the atmosphere to counter global warming by reflecting solar energy away. But according to Carnegie Institution scientists, the price we’d have to pay is the loss of the Earth’s blue skies. Blocking 2% of the sun’s light, they say, would make the sky three to five times brighter, and a much, much paler color.

The idea behind pumping aerosols into the atmosphere is to mimic the cooling effect of large volcanic eruptions, which cool the planet by creating lots of small particles in the stratosphere that scatter sunlight back to space. But by using models, the team found that, depending on the size of the particles, the sky would whiten during the day and sunsets would have afterglows.